Sixteen Tuscan chefs – eight men and eight women – will each prepare a signature dish for a charity buffet open to the public at Forte Belvedere on September 6 (8 pm – midnight) to help raise funds for Florence’s Artemisia Anti-Violence Center. A minimum donation of €25 per person is requested at the door, and the total amount collected will be given to Artemisia. This is the third edition of the Italian [...]

The courtyard next to Santa Maria Maggiore will bustle with music and a smorgasbord of gluten-free food-stands on Thursday, July 19 for Quinoa Restaurant’s annual Sagra Senza Glutine. Florentine classics like mouthwatering porchetta and lampredotto panini are now guilt-free, baked with buckwheat and corn flour bread. Pasta, fried seafood, french fries, and hamburgers will tempt even the staunchest health foodies and satisfy many with dietary limitations. Quinoa was the first 100% gluten-free restaurant [...]

Thursday, June 22: Livorno, Crossroads of Culture Between Europe and the Mediterranean. Balagan Café. Synagogue garden, via Farini 6. 7:30 pm. Free admission. Kosher Apertivo, 8 pm. €10 for food and beverages. The Jewish Community of Florence, in collaboration with the City of Florence, presents the fifth edition of the Balagan Café, this summer on the theme of “Travel, Migration, and Diasporas.” There will be six free entrance events reflecting on the relationship between [...]

The environmental, religious, ethical, and health reasons for becoming vegetarian are being progressively recognized and satisfied by Florentine restaurants. Traditional Italian recipes are being modified to create delicious and unique vegetarian dishes. In this article, Magenta Florence explores the vegetarian restaurants that the city has to offer. SANTA CROCE LA RACCOLTA is a vegan haven situated a short 10-minute walk from both Campo di Marte and Santa Croce. Part restaurant, part café, and [...]

Forget chain restaurants—Tuscan food gets special attention at the historic Central Market, where the staples of honest, traditional cuisine have been sold for generations. The second floor was once similar to the ground floor, a bustling market teeming with vendors yelling out adverts for their fresh produce, ripe fruits and vegetables. Recently, the second floor was renovated and is now open to the public as a redesigned gastronomic food court. Stands offer fresh [...]

Targa Lungarno Colombo 7 (bus 14) 055/677377 Brunch on Saturdays (except August) from 11:30 am – 3 pm, reservations suggested Open for lunch 12:30 – 2:30 pm, dinner from 7:30 – 11 pm; closed Sunday The most delicious scrambled eggs and bacon I have ever eaten in my entire life were during Saturday brunch at chef Gabriele Tarchiani’s “Targa.” I would normally be at a loss to explain how an Italian chef could [...]